1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic communication system made up of interconnectible portable devices called “portable hearing-assistive sound units” that are capable of enhancing the listening and communication experience of users, especially those users who are hard of hearing, in a variety of settings.
Each device or “unit” is not worn in or near the ear, as conventional hearing aids are worn, but is positioned at an arm's reach distance from the user's body, from which position it transmits audio signals to the user's ear via wireline or wireless headphones.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 5,117,461, issued on May 26, 1992, to William T. Moseley, discloses a device for performing electroacoustic functions, that can act as a hearing aid and provide a headset for home entertainment equipment.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,426,706, issued on Jun. 20, 1995, to William H. Wood, discloses a remote simultaneous interpretation system, designed to enable a doctor and patient who do not speak a common language to communicate using headsets connected to an interpreter at a different location.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,487,067, issued on Jan. 23, 1996, to Takashi Matsushige, discloses a data communications apparatus, with a master device for processing audio data, and a variety of slave devices connected in a ring network with the master device.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,212,496, issued on Apr. 3, 2001, to Lowell Campbell and Daniel Robertson, discloses a method and apparatus for customizing audio output to a user's hearing in a digital telephone, by adjusting the input signal.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,381,308, issued on Apr. 30, 2002, to Charles H. Cargo, James M. Larson and Gerald P. Mill, discloses a device for coupling a hearing aid to a telephone.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,466,678, issued on Oct. 15, 2002, to Mead C. Killion et al., discloses a hearing aid in which the sound is processed by digital damping.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,647,123, issued on Nov. 11, 2003, to Gillray L. Kandel and Lee E. Ostrander, discloses a signal processing circuit and a method for increasing speech intelligibility.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,651,040, issued on Nov. 18, 2003, to Raimo Bakis et al., discloses a method for dynamic adjustment of audio input gain in a speech system.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,620,094, issued on Sep. 16, 2003, to Douglas Alan Miller, et al., discloses a system of adjusting sound inputs into a hearing aid by using an interface that provides direct delivery of audio input from external wire-line and wireless sources to the speech processor of the hearing aid.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,748,095, issued on Jun. 8, 2004, to Raymond G. Goss, discloses a headset with multiple connections.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,778,674, issued on Aug. 17, 2004, to Carl M. Panasik et al., discloses a hearing assist device with directional detection and sound modification.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,885,752, issued on Apr. 26, 2005, to Douglas Melvin Chabries et al., discloses a hearing aid incorporating signal processing techniques to filter out background noise, to make it easier for the user to understand persons speaking to him or her.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,110,552, issued on Sep. 19, 2006, to Mark Saliterman, discloses a personal listening device for arena events, wherein sound is received at various locations and transmitted to a user's headphones.
U.S. Pat. No. RE 38,405, reissued on Jan. 27, 2004, to Roy Barry Clair, Jr. and Ronald D. Borthwick, discloses an enhanced concert audio system, including a portable unit (with headphones and a receiver) to be carried by a user.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0076072, published on Jun. 20, 2002, to Leonard E. Cornelisse, discloses software implemented loudness normalization for a digital hearing aid.
U.S. Patent Application No. 2004/0133066, published on Jul. 8, 2004, to Alfred E. Mann et al., discloses an implant placed under the skin near the ear which includes an external module having a microphone which sends transmissions from the module to the implant.
U.S. Patent Application No. 2005/00899183, published on Apr. 28, 2005, to Torsten Niederdrank and Gottfried Ruckert, discloses a wireless communication system between hearing aids worn by the same person and an external module that improves the system's ability to set priorities.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0013420, published on Jan. 19, 2006, to Michael Karl Sacha, discloses a hearing aid that can be automatically switched from the microphone (acoustic input) mode to the telephone voice coil pickup without the user having to manually make the switch.
U.S. Patent Application No. 2006/0067550, published on Mar. 30, 2006, to Henning Puder and Andre Steinbuss, discloses a system of signal transmission between hearing aids, wherein the signal received by the first person's hearing aid is wirelessly sent to the second person's hearing aid at a further distance from the sound source, and so on until the signal is sent back to the first person's hearing aid, creating a circuit which clarifies the signal for all the hearing aids in the circuit.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0232605, published on Sep. 25, 2008 by Merat Bagda, discloses a system of improving hearing through a specially equipped auscultation device in the form of a stethoscope.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0103613, published on May 5, 2011 by Erik Cornelis Diederik Van Der Werf and Nikolai Bisgaard, discloses a hearing aid that can filter out different types of sounds.
International Patent Application WO 2001/0189263 A, filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty, published on Nov. 22, 2001, to Chang Chun, discloses a bone conduction and sound amplifying hearing aid in the form of a headset with a portable unit.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.
Section I. The Need for New Technology to Improve the Communication Experience of Persons Who are Hard of Hearing in a Variety of Settings:
As people get older, there is an increasing possibility that they may become hard of hearing. This is currently a growing problem in the United States as the people of the baby boom generation have entered their 50s and 60s. Advancements in hearing aids have helped some people who have become hard of hearing to continue to be able to function in the hearing world. However, hearing aids have only been minimally successful in addressing the problems facing those who are hard of hearing in a variety of settings.
Following is a discussion of: A) The problems facing people who are hard of hearing in a number of settings; B) The marked improvements and innovative solutions that the portable hearing-assistive sound unit system of the present invention brings to effectively addressing each of the problems facing hard of hearing people in each of the described settings; and C) A review of the hearing-assistive technology of the prior art (including hearing aids) that has addressed these problems with minimal success, especially when compared to the portable hearing-assistive sound unit system of the present invention.
a) Problems while Talking in a Noisy Restaurant:
One of the main problems with conventional hearing aids is that they do not do a good job of selectively amplifying the volume of certain sound inputs while turning down the volume of others. So a person with a hearing aid might have trouble hearing a friend who is speaking to her in a crowded restaurant because all the background noise in the restaurant is amplified by the hearing aid along with her friend's voice. It can be difficult for even a person who is not hard of hearing to tune into one speaker's voice among many and to tune out background music or the voices of other conversations. It can also be difficult for the person of ordinary hearing to talk with a person who is hard of hearing in a noisy setting because raising the volume of one's voice so that the hard of hearing person can understand what is being said can be disruptive to other people sitting nearby who are not involved in the conversation. Finally, it is extremely difficult for the hard of hearing person, even when wearing hearing aids, to engage in a conversation with a subset of the people with whom he/she is dining while other conversations are going on at the same time.
What is needed to effectively address the problems facing the hard of hearing person in this setting is the portable hearing-assistive sound unit system of the present invention. The system consists of interconnectible, portable devices or “units”; with each unit being capable of transmitting multiple audio signals at the same time which can be shared by all persons using any one of the connected units; and with the person operating the controls of any of the connected units having the capacity to differentially and easily adjust the volume of each audio signal coming into any of the connected units as frequently as desired, over the duration of the interaction.
Ideally, when using the system of the present invention, all persons who are connected to one of the hearing-assistive units speak into a microphone contained in a headset (microphone combined with headphones). The audio signal from each user's microphone (as well as audio inputs from sources other than user voices, such as audio signals from a television set) can be inputted into any of the connected portable sound units. Each incoming audio input signal is routed by electrical circuit through an amplifier which is connected to a set of controls which allow each user to adjust the volume of each incoming audio input signal relative to the other audio input signals, to his/her liking. The electrical circuit continuously routes the volume-adjusted audio signals created by each user (through operation of his/her respective set of controls) through a “sound combiner” (which can be a device, circuit or software program). The sound combiner creates a separate set of volume-adjusted audio signals for each user, with each user's set of audio signals representing the specific adjustments made by him/her. The separate set of volume-adjusted audio signals is then routed from the unit to each user's headphones. The headphones allow each user of the connected units to listen to the combined volume-adjusted audio signals he/she has created in real-time throughout the duration of use, while effectively blocking out background noise.
There are several features of the present invention that make it highly effective in addressing the problems the hard of hearing person experiences when having dinner with friends in a noisy restaurant. Because an audio input signal is created by each user when speaking into his/her microphone, and because the system allows each user to separately adjust the volume of each of the voice input signals coming into any of the connected units, the hard of hearing user is able to turn the volume of certain voices up, and the volume of other voices down, depending upon which persons he/she is talking with at any particular moment. Therefore, the hard of hearing user of the system can have a conversation with one or two of the people at the dining table, while others are having a different conversation. At a later time, when all the people at the table decide to engage in one conversation all together, then the hard of hearing user can easily turn up the volume for each of the voice inputs coming into any of the connected units and participate in the conversation with the whole group.
The system also addresses some other problems that can arise when dining out in a noisy restaurant. For example, if the hard of hearing user would like to speak with the waiter, then the waiter can use one of the microphones to plug into one of the units and answer questions about specials, etc., and the hard of hearing users of the system can hear this clearly even in a very noisy restaurant. Another big advantage of using the system in this setting is that persons of ordinary hearing do not have to raise their voices to uncomfortable levels in order to be heard by the hard of hearing persons involved in the conversation. Finally, the system can address the problem of needing to answer a phone call while dining, but not wanting to disturb the other people at the table by taking the call. The system allows the unit operator to block his/her phone conversation with the rest of the diners while talking on the phone and using the hearing-assistive features of the system.
b) Problems while Traveling in the Car:
Another setting that poses some serious problems for the hard of hearing person is traveling in the car with other people. The noise from traffic while traveling in a vehicle can make it difficult even for people of ordinary hearing to carry on a conversation. The present invention can provide a highly effective solution for this problem. By having all persons traveling in the vehicle together with the hard of hearing unit operator “plug in” to a complete unit, and by having all the persons involved in the interaction wear headsets (with combined headphones and microphone), a “closed circuit” of shared audio inputs is created. The hard of hearing operator can adjust the volumes of each of the audio inputs into the unit. This makes it possible for him/her to turn up the volume of the voice inputs as loudly as desired, without disturbing any of the other passengers in the vehicle, and without needing anyone to raise the volume of his/her voice to uncomfortable levels in order to be heard. The hard of hearing person's headphones would block out noise from traffic and he/she could adjust the volume of the voices to “tune in” to the persons with whom he/she wants to communicate and “tune out” those speakers who are having a different conversation. If the hard of hearing person happened to be driving, he/she could still hear external sounds coming from outside the vehicle via an omni-directional microphone that can be embedded in the unit. This is an important optional feature, since it is necessary when driving to be able to attend to other sounds from outside the vehicle, such as another driver honking the horn or a fire truck or ambulance sounding its alarm.
Another problem that can be addressed when using the system while traveling in a vehicle is the following: It can be very hard to get the hard of hearing person's attention, especially if he/she is wearing headphones while listening to music or talking to someone in the vehicle. The units of the present system can be equipped with lights (or beeps) on the control panel that indicate when someone who is connected to one of the units would like to interrupt the hard of hearing person or to join in on an ongoing conversation with him/her. Another advantage of using the system of the present invention is that cell phone calls can be integrated into the operations of the units, making it possible for the passenger or driver using the system to answer a phone call without having to interrupt the other people involved in a conversation, or having to disconnect from the ongoing interaction. The control panel on the unit may optionally provide lights (or beeps) indicating that the operator of the unit is receiving an incoming phone call. The wireless receptor on the unit for incoming cell phone calls receives the signal and then the signal gets routed through the unit through the amplifier and to the operator's headphones. The unit can block out the other activity occurring within the system (conversations, music, etc.) so that they cannot be heard while he/she is talking to the cell phone caller.
c) Problems Hearing in Teleconferences and Business Meetings:
Another setting that can be particularly difficult for the hard of hearing person is participating in business meetings or teleconference calls at work. The present system makes it possible for the hard of hearing user to attend a teleconference or business meeting involving a number of people, including some who are physically present with him/her, some who are calling in from cell phones, and some who are connecting via video internet transmission. A special form of the present invention, the table top unit, allows for multiple inputs to be processed and for multiple units to be connected together, thereby providing the means for a number of hard of hearing users to separate out the voices of individual callers and of persons who are physically present in the room, and to differentially adjust the volume of each input as desired. Another optional feature to the system is providing a means for subgrouping and blocking out the other inputs not involved in the subgroup, so that the hard of hearing user can have a “private” conversation with a subgroup while still maintaining his/her connection with the whole group of participants in the call. This feature helps the system to be very adaptive to the kinds of meetings and conference calls that often occur in businesses today. Specifically, it gives the hard of hearing user the ability to talk with a few other persons while other people are having a different conversation, but then rejoin the whole group when desired.
The system of the present invention can also be helpful in office settings for holding business meetings with hard to hear persons who are physically present or connecting to the meeting through an internet connection. Specifically, the table top system can be embedded in a large meeting table with connections to laptop computers made available for every person at the meeting table, and with said computers being programmed to work in synchronous operation with the hearing-assistive technology of the present invention. That is, the set of volume-adjusted inputs into the table top unit created by each user is sent from the unit to each person's computer, where each operator can control the volume of the audio inputs and engage in subgrouping of conversations when desired.
d) Problems while Working in Noisy Environments:
It is important to realize that many people in the work force, as well as patrons, are hard of hearing or could become hard of hearing. The personal sound system units of the present invention allow hard of hearing workers to continue working in jobs requiring ongoing communication with customers and other sources of audio input. For example, a hard of hearing doctor could provide his patients with a microphone connection into his/her personal sound system unit and be able to hear the patient with greater clarity.
Anyone who has tried to talk to someone behind the ticket counter in an airport knows how hard it is to hear above the din of airplanes taking off and crowds of people pushing their way up to the counter, and multiple announcements overhead about cancelled flights and security warnings. The present invention could be very helpful to the hard of hearing airport ticket counter worker in this setting. He/she could have the customers speak into a microphone plugged into his/her unit so that he/she could hear their voices clearly even in the very noisy airport setting. His/her unit could also include inputs from other ticket workers, incoming telephone calls or the intercom system so that he/she would not miss out on other important communications from co-workers or from telephone contacts. The system of the present invention could provide an excellent opportunity for employers to make reasonable accommodations to hard of hearing workers as required by the Americans With Disabilities Act (“ADA”).
e) Problems while Visiting a Sports Arena:
Another setting which can pose difficulties for the hard of hearing user is at a sports arena. The system of the present invention can address these difficulties by allowing the hard of hearing person to hear an announcer in a sports arena while talking to persons nearby and blocking out the noise from the crowds. The system accomplishes this by having separate inputs for the wireless announcer's signal, for the voices of other people with whom he/she wants to talk in the arena, and even an input for an incoming cell phone call, while the user wears his/her headphones, thereby blocking out background noise.
f) Problems when Using Other Technological Devices and Interacting with Others:
The hard of hearing person can experience problems when he/she must communicate with others while using various communications devices and computer applications with other people. It can be a serious problem for the hard of hearing person to be able to participate with other people when searching the internet or listening to music while talking. The present invention can allow the hard of hearing person to utilize the hearing-assistive features of the system while accessing the internet with other people. This can be accomplished by inputting the audio signal from the computer or personal digital assistant (“PDA”) into the user's unit, or by embedding the hearing-assistive technology of the unit into another device (such as a DVD player, computer or smart phone). In addition, the system of the present invention can allow the users to access their music via radios, stereos, or IPOD's while using the system. Specifically, the hard of hearing user can listen to music and talk with specific others connected to the system nearby, or he/she can take an incoming phone call from outside while continuing to remain connected to the ongoing activity occurring with the system.
The portable sound units of the present invention can be equipped with a mini-screen from which photos, videos and internet material can be projected and shared among those people communicating with the system. This feature would be especially useful as many people are transmitting digital photographs and music downloads, which could be shared by groups of people, including those who are hard of hearing or deaf. The hard of hearing user can turn the volume of voice inputs up when desired, and the volume of music or other inputs up or down as well. This feature is highly desirable when the units are used in work settings as well. In addition, the units can be equipped with screens, keyboards and microprocessors which allow for the integration of the hearing-assistive capabilities of the system with other wireless multi-media devices, including cell phones, computers, teleconferencing, online meeting systems, PDA's, IPOD's and smart phones. These features make it possible for the hard of hearing person to participate completely in many diverse and public settings.
g) Problems while Attending a Lecture:
The hard of hearing university student must face serious problems when attending lectures in large auditoriums. Oftentimes, professors give lectures while speaking into a microphone, as they also point to a screen displaying a POWERPOINT presentation. When the student is attending one of these lectures, it is often difficult to hear the professor speaking above all of the other noises coming from the room (such as people coughing and papers rustling). However, the hard of hearing student using the system of the present invention can effectively address all of these problems. Specifically, he/she can plug the sound from the lecturer's microphone directly into his/her unit (or pick up the lecturer's voice using one of the unit's microphone connections). Then he/she can turn the volume of the lecturer up while his/her headphones block out other noises in the auditorium. The hard of hearing user can also plug in the person seated next to him/her allowing them to talk in a quiet tone so as not to disturb others, but still being able to hear what is being said.
Another problem that the hard of hearing student may face is having to integrate oral and written and visually presented material. It is sometimes necessary to write some things down when communicating with a person who is deaf or hard of hearing. An important additional feature of this invention is providing a means for persons involved in a conversation with a hard of hearing or deaf person to integrate oral and written communication in a way to enhance the communication experience for everyone involved in the conversation. As discussed previously, the system of the present invention can optionally be equipped with a small screen and keyboard (like those provided in PDA's), along with the computer software needed to allow for communication via oral, written and visually presented material.
For an illustration of this feature, imagine that a person of ordinary hearing is trying to give directions for how to make a special cake to another person who is hard of hearing. To avoid any miscommunication, the person giving the directions could type out certain essential details, such as “3 tablespoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of salt” while he/she continues to speak through the unit. In this case the written communication provides clarification. When the hard of hearing student attending a lecture needs clarification regarding what he/she has heard, he/she could write down a question by using the keyboard, such as, “I did not hear what the name of the city was. Did you?” Then the person helping the student could write down the answer. In addition, the hard of hearing student could have a videocamera recording the POWERPOINT presentation (or input the presentation directly into her unit, if possible), and then take notes to go along with each slide as desired. Finally, an optional feature of the system allows the hard of hearing user to record lectures with different inputs (such as the microphone from the lecturer, the voice of a “tutor”, the slide presentation, the notes taken throughout the lecture) and synchronize them with the hearing-assistive features of the unit, so that the hard of hearing person can replay the lecture at a later time in order to listen again for better comprehension.
h) Problems while Watching Television with Others:
Sometimes the hard of hearing person chooses to use headphones to listen to the television or stereo so that he/she can turn up the volume on the TV and block out other background noise. This connection allows the hard of hearing person to turn the volume way up without disturbing other people. The problem with this approach is that watching television is often a social activity—people are talking while they watch TV together. So if the hard of hearing person is listening to the TV via headphones, then he/she cannot hear the other person who is watching TV with him/her. The present invention addresses this problem by allowing the hard of hearing person to listen to both the TV and to the other person through his/her headphones and have the capacity to selectively adjust the volume of the multiple inputs to the desired levels. In the case of two hard of hearing persons watching TV together, the present invention allows the TV input to be split—sending the sound signal from the TV to two different personal sound system units so that each hard of hearing person can control the volume of the sound inputs (from the other person and from the TV) as desired. Alternately, the present invention can be configured such that the TV input into one user's unit can be transmitted to another user's unit via the inter-unit connector.
The system also effectively addresses another problem that the hard of hearing person sometimes struggles with when talking to several people in a group. Because they cannot hear their own voice that well when talking to another person, even when wearing hearing aids, they can raise their voice and speak way too loudly for the situation at times. Because each user of the present invention speaks into a microphone, and because that voice input can be volume-adjusted along with each of the other inputs coming into the system, the hard of hearing user can adjust the volume of his/her voice so that it is at a comparable level to the volume of the voices of the other people with whom he/she is speaking. When watching TV and talking together, the users can continuously adjust the relative volumes of various inputs (such as the TV audio signal, the voice of the other hard of hearing person and his/her own voice) as frequently as desired.
Another problem the hard of hearing user experiences when listening to television while wearing headphones is that it is very difficult to hear any sounds coming from the immediate environment (because the headphones cover the ears, blocking out other sounds). Some of these sounds coming from the immediate environment may be important (such as an alarm, a knock at the door, a tea kettle whistling, a telephone ringing, or somebody calling from another room announcing that “dinner is ready”). The present invention addresses this particular problem by equipping the portable sound unit with an omnidirectional, long distance pick-up microphone input into the unit, so that the user can selectively adjust the volume of the outside audio input, while at the same time listening to television and to another person via his/her headphones connected to the unit.
i) Problems Hearing the Voices of Speakers Over the Background Track in TV Programs and Movies:
Even if the hard of hearing person is alone while listening to TV via headphones, there may be problems. The main problem is that when the hard of hearing person turns the volume up of the TV audio signal up, the volume of all of the sound tracks coming from the TV input (including music, sound effects and voices) are turned up at the same time. The hard of hearing person often has difficulty tuning into the voices of the speakers and filtering out the background noise or music coming from the TV input, even if the volume has been turned up to a high level. This can be a problem even for persons who have ordinary hearing.
One of the optional features of the present invention allows the operator of the unit to differentially adjust the volume of the voice or speaker track from the movie audio sound track from the background track. This allows the hard of hearing user the ability to turn the voice track of the movie up as high as desired so it can be heard more clearly against the background sound track, improving the listening experience dramatically.
j) Problems when Watching a Movie in the Theater with Friends:
Like watching television while talking with others, going to the movie theater with friends can pose similar problems for the hard of hearing person. The system of the present invention allows the hard of hearing person to go to a movie theater and plug the sound from the movie directly into one receptor in his/her portable unit while plugging the sound input from a friend's microphone into another, thereby allowing him/her to turn the volume up of the movie sound track or the friend's voice as high as desired without disturbing other people in the theater. A specific type of the system for use in movie theaters provides stationary units at each seat where the hard of hearing person can input the sound track from the movie directly into his/her portable unit. In this way, the hard of hearing user of the system can differentially adjust the volume of the sound track from the movie relative to other inputs into the system, as desired. Additionally, the fixed units can provide the ability for the user to differentially adjust the volume of the voice track from the movie from the background music or noise track, improving the hard of hearing user's ability to hear what is being said.
k) Problems while Communicating with Professionals in their Offices:
Hard of hearing persons can have difficulty communicating with professionals, especially when they also want to include a family member in a discussion with the professional. For example, a hard of hearing person may bring their spouse with them to talk to an attorney or doctor, but have great difficulty tuning into the different speakers during the discussion, even if they wear conventional hearing aids. What sometimes happens is that the professional begins speaking only to the “helper” and not to the hard of hearing person, because the professional is not sure that the hard of hearing person is really “getting” everything that is being said. The hearing-assistive system of the present invention provides a way for the hard of hearing person to participate in these types of discussions without being handicapped by his relative hearing difficulties. He/she can plug in an input from each speaker's microphone into his/her unit and then adjust the volumes as high as desired so that he/she can hear as well as possible while not requiring the other people to speak in very high volumes in order to be heard. By using the present system, all persons involved in the discussion can speak in a comfortable voice volume, and the “helper” can ask the hard of hearing user questions related to whether he/she is “getting” everything that is being said or whether he/she needs some more explanation.
l) Problems while Talking with a Professional and a Helper Over the Phone:
It is especially difficult for people who are hard of hearing to communicate over the telephone. Often the hard of hearing person has a relative or family member who tries to be available during important phone calls so that he/she can help the hard of hearing person understand what is being said. But the person who is not hard of hearing usually cannot hear what is being said on the phone and must have everything repeated. The system of the present invention provides a means to plug the two-way (or three-way) telephone audio signals into the units of both the hard of hearing person and the relative or friend who is helping him/her, so that a discussion can occur between all three persons and any miscommunications can be clarified while the discussion is occurring. In addition, the system optionally can filter out background noise from an incoming telephone call, making it easier for the hard of hearing person (or even the person of ordinary hearing) to decipher what the caller is saying.
m) Problems when an Interpreter is Needed:
This system can be especially helpful if the hard of hearing person involved in the conversation with the professional over the phone speaks a different language than the professional and an interpreter is needed. For example, if the hard of hearing person is non-English speaking and needs an interpreter when talking to the professional in person, then he/she could have each of the other people in the discussion (including the English-speaking professional and the interpreter) plug into his/her portable sound unit, and then selectively adjust the volume of the different speakers so as to optimize their communication experience. In this way, the interpreter does not have to worry about providing translation at a very high volume, which could be a strain for both the professional and the interpreter. Additionally, if the hard of hearing person is communicating with the professional and interpreter over the telephone, he/she can input the telephone audio signal into his/her unit and adjust the volume as desired. Some units are also equipped with a telephone separator element which can separate out the signals from the voices coming into the unit, allowing the user to differentially adjust the volume of the different voices coming into the unit from the telephone as desired.
Section II. Review of Prior Art and its Ineffectiveness in Addressing Problems Facing Persons Who are Hard of Hearing:
Improvements in conventional hearing aids have tried to address the problems that people who are hard of hearing face in many public and private settings, but these improvements have only been minimally effective. Some hearing aids allow the user to adjust the hearing aid to different receiver settings (e.g. near-far). There are hearing aids that use filtering technology to filter out background noises. There are also hearing aids having special settings for telephone use. More recently, hearing aids have been developed to allow the inputs to be shared between hearing aid users. There are hearing aids that allow the direct input of a specific sound source (such as from a CD player) into the hearing aid. There are hearing aids that are contained in headsets that allow the input from a sound source to be shared. Other hearing assistive communication systems, including bug-in-the ear with microphone headsets, create a shared circuit of inputs and outputs. Also networked computer, telephone and walkie-talkies systems allow users to share inputs. All of these potentially hearing-assistive systems are useful in specific situations, but none of them address the problems that hard of hearing persons face in settings as discussed in the previous section of this application.
Existing music and digital mastery sound systems allow for multiple inputs (or tracks from an audio source) to be inputted, sending them through a mixer which can control the volumes of the inputs and other features. But these systems do not provide a way for a specific hard of hearing person to share all of the inputs into the system with others, while differentially controlling the volume of the music input at the same time he/she is controlling the volume of a speaker's input with whom he/she is communicating, thereby creating his/her own personally volume-adjusted set of audio signals, while another hard of hearing person creates a different set of personally volume-adjusted audio signals coming from the same inputs into the connected units. Also, a tape recorder allows the user to input different audio signals, controlling the volume of each as desired. However, sound recorders have nothing that allows the user to selectively control the volume of the different inputs into a set of personally adjusted audio signals that are separate from another user sharing the sound inputs who differentially controls the volume of inputs coming into the connected units creating his/her own set of volume-adjusted signals.
There are a number of inventions having to do with a single component of the system of the present invention. They address special types of headsets (U.S. Pat. No. 5,111,461); types of mixers (U.S. Pat. No. 5,487,067); systems to adjust input signals from telephones (U.S. Pat. No. 6,212,496) and computer telephony systems (U.S. Pat. No. 6,748,095); systems providing filters to hearing aids to make it easier to distinguish speech from other background noise (U.S. Pat. No. 6,651,040; U.S. Pat. No. 6,381,308; U.S. Pat. No. 6,778,674; and WO 2001/0189263); and personal listening systems of Wood and Saliterman, all of which were cited in an earlier section of this application. None of these patented systems of the prior art provide effective solutions for the problems described in the previous section that hard of hearing persons must face in diverse public and private settings.
Taking the situation of dining in a noisy restaurant, the person using hearing aids in the middle of the table and talking to two persons on his/her left while two other persons are having a different conversation on his/her right would have a very difficult time “tuning in” to the conversation, because even if he/she changed the setting to “near” on his/her hearing aid, there are several people who are in “near” proximity whose voices would also get picked up by the hearing aid, making it impossible to clearly separate the two conversations. So this type of hearing assistive device does not work when the hard of hearing person is in a group setting like the noisy restaurant. Neither can the hard of hearing person tune in to a song being played on another diner's IPOD while sharing his/her reactions to the music with the other diner because the diner and the IPOD are in the same proximity as well. If the two were to turn the volume up on the IPOD so as to hear it over all the other nearby conversations and noise, then this could be disruptive to other diners. Also, there is a limit to how many different settings could be positioned on a hearing aid and whether you could have a “blend” of all of the selected inputs at the chosen volume levels, and whether it would be possible to change the settings continuously during the course of an interaction with the existing hearing-assistive devices of the prior art.
Clearly, none of the prior art can address the problems facing the hard of hearing user in this setting like the present invention. The portable hearing-assistive sound unit system allows hard of hearing persons (and persons of ordinary hearing dining together) to share the inputs of each person's voice, while blocking out background noise (or the voices of other people not involved in the conversation). Each voice input can be volume-adjusted (in relation to other inputs) by each unit operator, which gives each operator the ability to sub-group into a conversation with fewer people involved while others in the group have a separate conversation. The hard of hearing person can turn the volume up as high as desired without disturbing anyone else. The music from an IPOD can be plugged in to the system and each operator can adjust the volume of that input while continuing to talk with others as he/she chooses, while the other people in the group can make different choices about whether or not to “tune in” to the music. Another advantage of the present invention is that it can allow a hard of hearing operator the ability to answer an incoming call without having to leave the table or disconnect from the ongoing interaction, which is highly desirable. It can be very disruptive for a diner to take a call at the dinner table, so this feature can be very helpful to the person who takes the call (as well as everybody else).
Focusing in on the setting where a hard of hearing person is listening to TV and talking to others at the same time, it is clear that the current invention provides solutions to many problems in this setting. There are hearing aids which can be directly connected to inputs from televisions or stereos. But this type of connection would not allow the hard of hearing person to talk with another person in the room while listening to the TV directly inputted into his/her hearing aids. It is conceivable that hearing aids could be capable of separating out the voice and background sound tracks from the audio input from the television. But hearing aids do not generally have controls that allow the user to continuously adjust the relative volume of one track in relation to another. And hearing aids of the prior art could not allow the input of another speaker's voice to be directly inputted into the hearing aid, along with the direct input from the television, and therefore would not be effective in allowing the user to switch back and forth between turning up the soundtrack from the TV versus turning up the sound track of the other speaker. In addition, hard of hearing persons often gather in groups in which a lot of sub-conversations occur. Specifically, the hard of hearing person may be talking to someone right in front of him/her, but not talking to the person who is standing right next to that person. Hearing aids can be adjusted to target a sound source that is near or far from the user. But they cannot be adjusted to target a specific voice separated from other voices in the immediate proximity. However, the system of the present invention allows the hard of hearing person to input all of the voices into the unit (or connected units) and then to differentially adjust the volume of each input, regardless of the proximity of the other persons to each other and to the hard of hearing user.
Now focusing in on the settings where the hard of hearing person wants to listen and work with another technological or communication device (such as telephones, computers, and IPOD's) while talking with other people at the same time, the prior art includes hearing aids that can receive a wireless or wire-line audio input signal from another device (such as from a telephone or stereo) directly into the hearing aid, thereby improving the clarity of that input. There are also hearing aids that can transmit the signal from one person's headphone receiver to another person's headphones, thereby making it possible to “share” an audio input signal on a very rudimentary basis. Finally, there is a type of hearing aid disclosed in U.S. Patent Application No. 2006/0067550, that shows hearing aids that can transmit an audio signal from a sound source to another person's hearing aids, and to another, until the signal is transmitted back to the original hearing aids, thereby improving the clarity of the signal. While these attempts of the prior art to allow persons who wear hearing aids to share sound inputs, they do not allow the comprehensive sharing of multiple inputs that the present invention allows to users who are hard of hearing and those who have ordinary hearing. In fact, this ability to share a signal audio signal would not address the problems described in this patent application involving hard of hearing persons in groups (where it is important to be able to separate audio inputs from voices of people who are in close proximity). Neither would these hearing aids address the problem of the hard of hearing user in a setting where he/she wants to use another technological or communications device while talking to other people at the same time.
Section III. Usefulness and Uniqueness of the Present Invention for Addressing Problems Facing Hard of Hearing Persons:
The previous sections of this application have shown that none of the reviewed prior art has the capacity to address the problems facing hard of hearing persons in the diverse settings described herein. The present invention is a highly useful and unique system capable of allowing a number of hard of hearing persons (and persons of ordinary hearing) to share multiple inputs at the same time, including inputs from the voices of several people near and far in proximity to the operator, to differentially adjust the volume of each input as desired by each operator, and to continuously select which specific inputs he/she wants to listen to or block out in real-time over the course of the interaction. In addition, the system makes it possible for the hard of hearing person to utilize other modern technological devices in more effective ways. For example, he/she can be “plugged in” to a discussion using the system, but decide to take a phone call at some point, putting the discussion on “hold” for a moment. He/she can talk to a friend or helper during a POWERPOINT lecture and discuss what is happening at the same time, thereby enhancing understanding. He/she can also record a lecture (with the adjustments made in volume of inputs while the lecture was recorded) and play it back at a later time to improve comprehension even more. The system can be co-located, connected or embedded in other technological devices which helps give hard of hearing persons access to our modern technological information-processing culture in diverse settings. The system can be used to talk to friends while at the same time listening to music from an IPOD together. The system can be used to assist the hard of hearing worker who must be able to respond to different types of communication technology, including face to face, intercom and telephone systems. The present invention can greatly enhance the communication experienced for persons who are hard of hearing when interacting with groups of other people, whether in a noisy restaurant or participating in a teleconferencing call at the office. Because the system is available in different configurations (such as tabletop, connected portable units, fixed input units, stationary systems, units having screens, keyboards and microprocessors, and units embedded, co-located or connected to other devices), they can address the needs of hard of hearing persons in diverse public and private settings. And finally, the inter-connectibility of the units with each other and with other technological devices makes it possible to create a universal system to improve the communication experience of hard of hearing persons and persons of ordinary hearing in all areas of life.
In addition to these advantages of the system over the prior art, the present invention is very convenient. One configuration of the unit is portable and can be worn attached to a belt around the waist or carried in a backpack. Another configuration can be placed in the center of a table to facilitate a discussion by multiple participants. Some configurations are likely to be much less expensive than conventional hearing aids of the prior art, since the kind of batteries needed for the present invention would be much cheaper (and easier to use) than current hearing aid batteries. In addition, the system of the present invention can be plugged in to an electrical outlet, not requiring the purchase of batteries at all. Finally, the hearing-assistive technology of the present invention could be directly inputted into the hard of hearing person's hearing aid, thus making it possible to reap the benefits of the present invention and the benefits of the hearing aids at the same time.
The personal portable hearing-assistive sound unit system of the present invention enables hard of hearing persons to continue to interact with the hearing world for work or pleasure. This, in turn, leads to improved productivity and quality of life for persons who are hard of hearing and for persons with ordinary hearing. Particularly in “hard to hear” settings, the system of the present invention has universal appeal.
IV. Description of an Innovative Method for Making the Hearing-Assistive Technology of the Present Invention Available in Diverse Public and Private Settings
The method presented in this patent application (for a universal system for improving the communication experience of hard of hearing persons) is highly effective, convenient, user-friendly and innovative. No other method exists in the prior art which addresses the problems faced by hard of hearing persons in diverse settings as described in the present application.
It has been shown that the prior art with respect to hearing aids does not provide any examples of devices that could be inter-connected to address the needs of hard of hearing persons in diverse settings.
There are internet chat rooms and network servers where people can see and talk to each other in groups, but these systems do not have controls for each participant to differentially adjust the volume of each input, as does the present invention. There are “bug in the ear” headset communication systems that “share” inputs, but these systems cannot separate out each audio input for the user so he/she can differentially control the volume of each one as desired, and there is no separate input for each voice going into the system so the user cannot differentially adjust the volume (or block the audio signal completely) as is possible with the present invention. Finally, a standard sound mixer has a way to differentially adjust the volume of multiple inputs coming into the device, but there is only one set of controls, so different users of the mixer cannot differentially adjust the volume of the audio inputs, as desired.
The method claimed in this application for creating a universal system for improving the communication experience of persons who are who are hard of hearing (or persons of ordinary hearing in hard to hear settings) does not exist in the prior art. Individuals can have hearing aids fitted for their hearing deficits. They can use headsets with other devices and turn up the volume on these devices to improve their hearing. They can get ear-pieces receiving transmissions from an amplifier and turn up the volume on the sound input without distracting others (as in Listen Up product). But none of the methods extrapolated from any of these systems or devices can address the problems hard of hearing persons face as outlined in the background section of this application.
We have disclosed how the system of the present invention can be standardized and distributed across a wide range of public and private settings, enabling a large number of hard of hearing persons to improve their communication experience. The inter-connectible units of the present invention can be hard-wired throughout public buildings and residences. They can be connected to internets and/or intranets to facilitate transfer through computerized networks. They can operate on hard-wired or wireless signals. They can be used in conjunction with other communications technological equipment, including computers and telephones and BLACKBERRIES. Furthermore, the portable units can be interconnected and integrated with other hard-wired stationary systems to address additional problems confronting hard of hearing persons. Stationary units with fixed inputs can be made available for persons in movie theaters, stadiums and lecture halls. Other units can make it possible for the hard of hearing user to continue working in stores and ticket counters and offices.
This unique method of providing a system to enable hard of hearing people to continue to interact with the hearing world for work or pleasure is highly useful, potentially improving productivity and the quality of life for thousands of people. People who are not hard of hearing can also find this system to be very useful. Specifically, they can improve their communication with hard of hearing persons, but also improve their own listening experience in loud, hard to hear places. Finally, this method of providing the hearing-assistive sound unit technology of the present invention allows our society another opportunity to be inclusive of people who have disabilities associated with hearing loss and impairments. Inclusiveness is a highly valued goal in our present society. Our laws (particularly the ADA) require that businesses make reasonable accommodations to persons with disabilities, including hard of hearing persons. The present invention and method for standardizing and disseminating this new technology could provide the means to make this possible.
The clear and identifiable steps to the method of providing a universal system to enhance communication for persons who are hard of hearing are as follows: First, provide devices that can be inter-connectible so that multiple inputs can be shared by hard of hearing and ordinary hearing users, with each device having a set of controls which allow each operator the ability to differentially adjust the volume of each input into the inter-connected devices continuously as desired, thus allowing each operator to hear the sound of the combined inputs he/she is selecting and volume-adjusting over the course of the interaction. Second, it will be important to standardize the inter-connectible devices so that they can be used in combination with other technological devices, such as televisions, computers, IPODs, PDA's, laptops, cell phones, etc. And thirdly, it is important that the hearing-assistive devices be disseminated with the necessary features and configurations to meet the needs of hard of hearing persons in diverse public and private settings as described in this patent application.